Trenton – Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg introduced legislation today that would establish a Stillbirth Resource Center (SRC) to help families after having a stillbirth as well as conduct research to better understand the causes of stillbirth and prevent them in the future.
“A stillbirth is both tragic and traumatic,” said Senator Weinberg (D-Bergen). “In those distressing and confusing events, mothers and families need a place to turn for professional support. The Stillbirth Resource Center will be a place to find information, support groups and a toll-free helpline because nobody should feel alone in such a painful time.”
Under the bill, S-2078, $2.5 million would be appropriated to the Department of Health to establish the SRC, which, among other things, would be tasked to: develop a voluntary stillbirth reporting process, maintain a list of bereavement support groups, and provide bereavement support services to families who have experienced a stillbirth.
“We don’t know enough about the causes of stillbirths, but through the data collected and the research conducted by the SRC, we can learn how to prevent these tragedies to the greatest extent possible,” Senator Weinberg said. “The information gathered by the SRC won’t merely benefit New Jerseyans but with online resources, it has the potential to help mothers across the nation.”
Every year, approximately 25,000 babies are stillborn in the United States, roughly 1 in every 160 pregnancies, which is a higher rate than that of other developed countries. There are about 650 stillbirths every year in New Jersey.